Liquid dispensing cabinet with readily removable pinch-cock valve assembly



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REMOVABLE PINcH-cocx VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed June 1'7, 1954 United StatesPatent LIQUID DISPENSINGv CABINET WITH READILY REMVABLE PINCE-COCK VALVEASSElVIBLY Lann-ie F. Norris' and David I. W. Timmers'man, Minneapolis,Minn., assignors toNor'ris Manufacturing Company, Minneapolis, Minn., acorporation of Minnesota Application June 17, 1954',` Serial No. 437,40411 Claims. (Cl. 137-376) This invention relatesA generally to liquid.dispensing cabinets and particularly to a cabinet provided withV areadily removable pinch-cock valve assembly specifically constructed tofacilitatechanging liquid containers enclosed in said cabinet.

While the invention disclosed and claimed in our prior patent, No.2,601,319, entitled Liquid Dispensing Cabinet, issued in the UnitedVStates Patent Oice on June 24, 1952, has worked very satisfactorily,our present inventionis an improvement thereon and is designed tofurther facilitate changing of thevliquid containers housed within saidcabinet by providing a readily removable and separablepinc'ncock valveassembly which may be easily cleaned and which provides a positivel'ockfor the valve assembly for safe, over-night storage.

It is therefore an object of our present invention to provide a liquiddispensing cabinet wherein liquid confining containers housed within'the cabinet may be quickly and easily changed.

It is another object to provide a liquid dispensing cabinet specificallydesigned for refrigerating the liquid stored therein and provided with apinch-cock valve assembly for controlling the liquid discharged from acontainer housed within the cabinet while permitting said valve assemblyto be readily removed and disassembled for easy 'cleaning thereof.

It is a further object' 'to 'provide `a liquid dispensing cabinetprovided with a 'pinch-cock type valve assembly having a portion thereofactuable only from within vthe dispensing cabinet and another portionactuable from outside the dispensing cabinet to permita ilexible liquiddispensing tube to 'be controllably opened and closed with said valveassembly being arranged so that closing ofthe tube by the actuatingportion disposed within the cabinet will prevent dispensing 'of-liquidby actuation of the .portion disposed outside the cabinet.

It is still another object to provide a liquid dispensing cabinet havinga valve mounting assembly with a'pair of pinch-cock valves mountedthereon, one -of said valves being spaced above the other with the uppervalve being disposed within the cabinet and the lower valve lbeingdisposed outside the cabinet, said valve mounting assembly receiving aflexible discharge tube therethrough to permit controlled llo'w byactuation of said valves, said lower valve controlling the flow onlywhen said upper valve is open.

It is a still further object to provide a liquid dispensing cabinet forhousing a liquid container and provided with `an extremely accessibletube-receiving valve mounting member, greatly facilitating changing ofthe liquid cony-tainers in the cabinet by facilitation of the mountingof the elongated flexible dispensing tube therethrough and arrangementof the valve mechanisms in operative controlled position with respect tosaid tube.

These and other objects and kadvantages of our invention will more fullyappear from Ithe following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein like reference ch-aracters refer to thesame Patented Sept. 17,1957

2 or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary, front elevational view of our liquid dispensingcabinetwith the valve assembly mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of our cabinet with the door open to showthe valve assembly mounted therein;

Fig. 3 is .ahorizontal sectional view taken substantially along the line3--3l of Fig. 14 with a portion of thevalvemounting member brokenawaykand showing t-he upper valve in open position andthe insert memberin closed position;

Fig, 4 is an enlarged vertical` section showing the structureVillustrated Fig. 1 and takengsubstantially along the`line 44jof Fig. 1;v Y

Y Fig. 5 is an enlarged, verticalY sectional viewshowing the upperpinch-cockv valvein detail and showing the same .in open position byfull lines andinclosed position byrdot'ted lines; V

Fig. 6 is` va fragmentary,l horizontal, sectional-view takensubstantially alongl the line 3-3 of Figi but showing the upperpinch-cock valve in closed position/aswell as the insert member beingswung into closed position; and

Eig. 7 is .a fragmentary,l horizontal, sectional view taken'substantially along the line 7 7 of Fig. l and showy iCC ing the insertmember in closed position.

As `illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, kwe provide a cabinetShaving afb'ottom panel 5a, sidepanels 519 rear panel S'c yand a 'toppanel 5d Vand provided with a closure door 6 'generally 'similar to thecabinet disclosed in our previously identified patent. The bottom 5a4has a step 7 'formed along 'the front marginal edge portion thereof. nThe tjop 'surface 8a 'of said s tep isr inclinedrearwardly from'therjextrem'e forward edge thereof, and the bottom surface 8b thereofis also inclinedv rearwardly from the 'extreme forward edge thereof,.asbest showny inA Fig. 4. The central portion of the step 7` has arecess,formed therein to receive `a mounting and anchoring mem-- ber designatedas an l'entirety by the numeral 9. `Said.

member 9 has a pair of' cooperating, inclined anges, respectivelydesignated by the numerals 9a and 9b fory respectively engaging inlapped relation, the top and bottorn surfaces v8a and 8b of step v8.Suitable means forl anchoring saidY lflanges to the 'step is provided,such Vas the Set screw element 10 thread'edly inserted through the lowerflange 9bto pull the upper ange 9a .tightly against the top step surface8a.4 The, mounting member 9 has a vertically disposed passage 11 formedtherethrough as best shown in Fig. 4 wherein 'the center portionsl ofthe insert and exible tube are broken away, said passage 11 extendingfrom the top thereof tofthe bottom of the mounting member. "Said passageis generally cylindrical in cross section "but the front portion 11athereof is open and unobstructed from top to bottom, to .providecomplete access to the passage 11 from the front 11a. An elongatedinsert member V1.2 lhas a cylindrical segment which '-is rotatablymounted in the cylindrical port-ion of said passage 1'1. v Said insertmember defines a passage 12a therein and the upper end` of Vinsertmember 12 has an enlarged abutment fla-nge body V13 which houses amanually operated, upper Valve mechanism designated as anentre'ty Ab'ythe numeral 14 and is best shown in -Fig. 5. The upper Valve mechanism14 has a tube-engaging and pinching ielement 14a slidably mounted in ahorizontally to the axis of the passage 12a defined within lthe insertAmember 12. Obviously, oscillation of the "handle -1`4c on its axis willswing actuating eccentric pin 14b through? a circumferential are andsaid .pin being mounted in an elongated slot 14d in the tube-engaging,pinching element 14a positively shifts said tube-closing element 14ainto and out of closing position. The lower portion of valve mountingand anchoring member 9 has a pair of horizontally disposed pin-receivingrecesses 15 formed on opposite sides thereof. Each of said pin-receivingrecesses or apertures 15 has a pin-camming surface 16 extendingforwardly and inwardly therefrom whereby a pair of opposed, springpressed pins 17 mounted in an upwardly extending portion 18a of a weightmember 18 can be easily inserted into said apertures 15. Said weightmember 18 has a forwardly extending weight arm 18b fixed thereto and inthe form shown, disposed a slight distance below the vspring pressedpivot pins 17 of said weight. A tube-engaging pincher 18e extendsrearwardly or inwardly in spaced relation below said spring pressedpivot pins and is disposed below the lower extremity of insert member 12to pass through the access opening 11a formed in the front of passage 11to engage a tube 19 received through said passage and pinch the sametogether, as best shown in Fig. 4, the weight arm 1817 of course,providing sufficient closing force to positively close said tube 19. Theupper rear portion of weight member 18 is bifurcated to provide a pairof horizontally opposed, pin-mounting bosses 18d, within which lthe pins17 and pressure springs 17a are housed.

The tube-engaging closure element 18e fixed in rearwardly extendingrelation to the lower portion of Weight member 18 has a pair of stopshoulders 18e for engaging the front face of the lower portion ofmounting member 9 to positively limit the inward shifting movement ofsaid pincher element and prevent cutting of the tube thereby.

The following is the description of the assembly and operation of ournew valve assembly.

With the insert 12 received in the mounting member 9, which of coursehas been previously secured to the front step by screws 10, the tube 19from the liquid container C supported on the bottom 5 of the cabinet,can be easily inserted into the tube-receiving passage 12a when saidinsert member 12 has the opening thereof disposed in registration withthe front opening 11a of mounting member 9. During this operation ofcourse, the pinch-cock valve weight 18 is removed from the lower portionof mounting member 9 by retracting spring pressed pins 17 from theiryrespective apertures so that the tube-receiving passage 12a iscompletely accessible throughout its entire length and said tube 19 caneasily be mounted therein.

In practice, the tube 19 has the lower portion thereof sealed by anysuitable means such as a positive vulcanized plug member being receivedtherein and this closed end must of course be severed from the upperportion of the tube in order to permit the liquid to pass from thecontainer C downwardly through the tube. It is of course possible to cuto this tube closure before mounting the valve weight 18 back onto themounting member 9 by closing the upper cam actuated pinch-cock valve 14.However, in normal practice, the weight 18 is assembled on the mountingmember before the tube closure is cut therefrom and normally holds thetube in closed position, as shown in Fig. 4. However, raising of theweight arm 18b will of course remove the tube-engaging pincher element18e` from the tube and permit liquid to be discharged therethrough aslong as the upper valve 14 is in open position.

It should be pointed out that the tube 19 can be completely surroundedin protected relation by rotating the insert member 12 `through 180degrees to close the opening 11a with a closed segment of said insertand position the opening of said insert at the rear of the passagethrough said mounting member. The upper end of said mounting member hasa substantially horiz-ontally disposed bearing portion which receivesand engages the lower surface of the flange body 13 to support saidinsert in outstanding relation while permitting rotation thereof withinsaid mounting member.

The distance across the opening 11a at the upper portion of the mountingmember is slightly less than the diameter of the passage therethrough,thus positively retaining the insert member therein since the outsidediam- -eter of the cylindrical segment of the insert member issubstantially the same as the inside diameter of the passage through themounting member.

It will be seen that we have provided a relatively simple yet highlyeiiicient liquid dispensing cabinet which may be of the refrigeratedtype to house relatively large containers of milk or other liquids andfacilitate dispensing thereof while maintaining the same in a coolcondition. With the door 6 of the cabinet open, the container C may ofcourse be easily lifted onto the cabnet bottom 5 and the tube 19inserted into its confining passage as has been previously described andsaid tube completely enclosed in said passage, as described.

Wheneverv a container is changed, the insert member and weight-operatedpinch-cock valve structure may be completely removed from the mountingmember and thoroughly washed before being reassembled. The cornplete andunobstructed accessibility to the tube-receiving passage when theopenings in the insert member and mounting member are brought intoregistration along with theremovability of the Weight-operatedpinch-cock valve structure, greatly -speeds up changing of thecontainers within the cabinet and facilitates cleaning of the assembly.The parallel, front surfaces of the mounting member receive the sealinggasket 6a of the door 6 so that the complete peripheral area of the door6 will be substantially sealed. The upper valve assembly mech- `anism 14is of course housed within the cabinet behind the door 6 and when thedoor is closed and locked, said valve will be inaccessible from theoutside, thereby providing an easy land quick means for locking thedispensing mechanism if desired, to positively prevent stealingof themilk or other liquid.

It will of course, be understood that various changes may be made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of our invention.

What is claimed is:

l. In a liquid dispensing cabinet for housing containers provided withflexible liquid discharge tubes, a pinchcock valve assembly comprising amounting member having an elongated passage longitudinally formedtherethrough and securely anchored in xed relation to the front marginaledge portion of the cabinet bottom, the front portion of said elongatedpassage being provided with an unobstructed access opening extending thefull length thereof, an elongated hollow insert member rotatably mountedwithin the passage of said mounting member and defining a tube-receivingpassage therethrough, said passage having an elongated access openingformed therein and extending from the top to the bottom thereof toprovide a completely open, front portion for access to the passageformed through said insert member when said longitudinal openings of theinsert member and the mounting member are brought into registration witheach other but completely surrounding the tube received therein whensaid openings are out of registration, a pinchcock valve mechanismmounted on the lower portion of said mounting member for normallymaintaining the flexible discharge tube in closed position, butpermitting the same to be opened to dispense liquid therethrough.

2. The structure set forth in claim l and said pinchcock valve assemblybeing bodily removable from saidV mounting member to provide completeaccess to the substantially concentric tube-receiving passages of saidmounting member and said insert member.

3. In a liquid dispensing cabinet for housing liquid containers of thetype having exible liquid discharge tubes, a mounting member for apinch-cock valve assembly comprising an elongated, substantiallycylindrical mounting element dening an upstanding passage therethroughand mounted in the cabinet bottom, the front 0f said passage beingprovided with an access opening extending the full length thereof andaffording unobstructed access for said passage, an elongated insertmember rotatably mounted in said passage and having a tube-receivingpassage extending the full length thereof with an access opening beingprovided in one side thereof whereby the passage through said insertmember will be completely accessible when said passage openings arebrought into registration, one with the other, and a completetubesurrounding passage will be formed when said openings are out ofregistration.

4. In a liquid dispensing cabinet having a bottom and defining a storagechamber therein for housing liquid containers of the type having exibleliquid discharge tubes, a valve mounting member comprising an elongatedmounting element mounted through the bottom of the cabinet and providedwith a closed rear portion but having an access opening in the frontportion thereof extending from the top to the bottom thereof, an insertmember rotatably mounted in said mounting element and dening atube-receiving passage therethrough, but having a longitudinallydisposed access opening extending the full length thereof to providecomplete, unobstructed access to the tube-receiving passage delinedthereby when said opening is in registration with the open front portionof said elongated mounting element but forming an elongatedtube-enclosing and surrounding passage extending the full length thereofwhen the opening of said insert member is rotated to bring the same intoregistration with the closed rear portion of said mounting element,means for securely anchoring said mounting element in fixed relation tothe bottom of a cabinet and means for mounting a pinch-cock type valveelement on the lower portion of said mounting element.

5. In a liquid dispensing cabinet for housing containers providedwithexible discharge tubes, a mounting member comprising an elongatedmounting element extending through a front portion of the bottom of thecabinet and having means for securely anchoring the same to said cabinetbottom, said mounting element having a longitudinally disposed openingtherein and extending the full length thereof, an insert memberrotatably mounted in said mounting element and having a longitudinallydisposed lopening extending the full length thereof but providing aclosed portion for a substantial peripheral segment thereof to define anelongated, tube-receiving passage therethrough wherein the front portionthereof is open from one end to the other when the insert member is inone position and said front portion is completely closed when saidinsert member is in another position, and means for mounting apinch-cock valve on the lower portion of said mounting element.

6. A cabinet for housing liquid containers of the type having flexibledischarge tubes attached to the lower portion thereof, said cabinetincluding imperforate back and side panels with a closed top and bottomand a hinged closure door across the front thereof, a mounting memberrigidly mounted in the front portion of the cabinet bottom and definingan elongated, tube-receiving passage extending from the inside to theoutside of the cabinet through said cabinet bottom, valve means mountedon said mounting member, means disposed within said cabinet and mountedon the upper portion of said mounting member for actuating certainportions of said valve means, means mounted on the lower portion of saidmounting member and disposed below the cabinet bottom for access fromoutside of said cabinet for actuating certain other portions of saidvalve means whereby closure of either valve actuating means will preventdischarge of liquid through a flexible tube received through saidmounting member.

7. In a liquid dispensing cabinet for housing liquid confiningcontainers of the type having a flexible discharge tube, -a valveassembly comprising a mounting member mounted in xed relation in thebottom of a cabinet to extend from the inside to the outside of thecabinet, said mounting member having an opening across the front thereofand extending from the top to the bottom, a hollow insert memberrotatably mounted in said mounting member and having an elongated`access opening extending from the top to the bottom thereof to providea completely unobstructed, elongated access opening when in registrationwith the opening of said mounting member but providing atube-surrounding, closed passage when rotated out of registration withsaid opening, a weight-operated, pinch-cock valve mounted on the lowerportion of said mounting member and having at least a portion thereofcompletely removable from the access opening across the front of saidmounting member to provide completely unobstructed access to saidpassage to facilitate mounting of fa exible discharge tube therethrough.

8. The structure set forth in claim 7 and said weightoperated,pinch-cock valve being bodily removable from said mounting member.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8 and a pair of opposed pivot pinsmounting said weight-operated valve assembly on said mounting member, atleast one of said pins being longitudinally rectractable to facilitateremoval of the entire weight-operated valve assembly from said mountingmember.

10. The structure set fotrh in claim 9 and said valve assemblycomprising va forwardly extending, actuating weight, a tube-engaging andclosing member fixed to said weight in spaced relation below said piovtpins to normally hold the tube in collapsed position and prevent liquidow therethrough, but releasing the tube upon raising of the weight topermit liquid ow therethrough.

k11. The structure set forth in claim 10 and abutment means connectedwith said weight for engagement with the lower portion of said valvemounting member to positively limit the closing movement of thetube-engaging valve element and thereby prevent cutting of the flexibletube.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,658,073 Betts Feb. 7, 1928 2,377,261 Norris May 29, 1945 2,549,207Kestenbaum Apr. 17, 1951 2,601,319 Norris June 24, 1952

